London Revival of Miss Saigon has its Kim

Just watched her singing With You on YouTube. She's gonna be great.

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do they mean jon jon briones for the Engineer??

Wouldn't the understudy be considered an alternate at that point?

The article makes it sound like there will be multiple understudies doing the other four performances.

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"Noblezada will join previously announced cast members Jon Jon Briones as the Engineer, Alistair Brammer as Chris, Hugh Maynard as John, Tamsin Carroll as Ellen and Rachelle Ann Go as Gigi."

I love this casting.

The girl cast as Kim seems to have the natural flair for the role as well as a great singing voice.

This show is very difficult to cast. It is easy to make the mistake of hiring actors that can't sing well enough (Hugh Jackman syndrome) which ruins the material and the emotions, or hiring actors that sound like a parody on musical theatre (Ramin Karimloo syndrome) which ruins the material and the emotions too. The people cast here seem to have the exact right natural balance. Acting through great singing. Holding a note and keep the emotion. That is rare these days.

Kim, Chris and the Engineer seem to be exactly the right type for the role. The lady cast as Ellen reads a bit old, but I felt the same way about Claire Moore in the original production. I do love her type and voice though, it makes the confrontation between her and Kim interesting I think. I don't know the guy cast as John very well, but he can sing, I hope he doesn't make the songs too gospel-ish. I hate the John on the CSR cd.

If there ever comes a film and we get a cast like this we should be very, very pleased. Material like this needs people like this.

Updated On: 11/22/13 at 05:49 AM

Jon Jon..love him as the engineer. So great. I've seen him do the part numerous times.

New Kim sounds promising..hope it works out for everyone.

I love this show...excited even though I don't live in London..

Updated On: 11/22/13 at 06:42 AM

I'm really tired of this 4-show-a-week crap.

Kids or adults, if you can't do the job, then get out of the business.

EDIT: And don't tell me it has to do with child labor laws. The last time I checked, a three-hour show is a three-hour show, whether you're a lead or in the chorus. Time and "working hours" work the same way for both.

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Updated On: 11/22/13 at 07:11 AM

When did this 4 performances a week nonsense begin? Lea Salonga did all 8 performances in London when the original production premiered then it turned into either 6 times or 5 times a week a la the EVITA alternate schedule after Salonga had her vocal problems addressed IIRC.

Is this girl not turning18 before the opening?

She's too polished unless they're going for a non naive Kim.

While Lea played all the initial performances by herself, Monique Wilson was always billed as the alternate right from the beginning. Nevertheless, she did play more than Eva would and she was the same age then as Eva is now.

I think this has less to do with labor laws or vocal issues, and more to do with creating another "factory" production. They don't want to build a show around one "star turn" performance, so that when she leaves or calls in sick, ticket sales drop off.

"Look! We've got six more Kims waiting in the wings. You can see them all on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday!"

They don't create shows (or revivals) tailored to an individual's talents anymore. The human factor is gone. It's about mass production, like an automobile. I really hate that approach to big-budget stage musicals now.

Motor City Musicals.

They're factories full of factory workers. If one of them falls off the "track," another steps into position, and the machine keeps going.

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Updated On: 11/22/13 at 01:42 PM

Am I the only one who really doesn't understand why Kim is so vocally draining on the actress portraying her? (I mean it's no harder than Evita-where the principal plays the role 6x, or Christine with the same requirements). I think emotionally it could be draining-but there are plenty of other roles where the principal played the role 6-8 times a week that were even more so.

Yes, it's especially demanding when a stage actress is required to act. That's asking too much. They should hire different actresses for each scene, so the others have time for mental and physical therapy and plenty of rest.

And if she acts AND sings a high C, she should get six weeks off for her troubles.

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Didn't the "tradition" of double-casting the lead come from the world of opera?

Kim is onstage for most of the show. It's a physically and vocally exhausting part. Perhaps it's because this is Eva's professional debut? They want to make sure her voice holds up. Lea already had extensive theatrical experience by the time she debuted in Miss Saigon. Hopefully, as she settles into the role, Eva will perform on more days. If she is nominated for an Olivier, I would expect that she would have to perform for more than 4 days.